Rating: 
Summary: a rare graphic novel
Review: Cages is that rarest of graphic novels ; a work that can be called art and not just entertainment. The multiplicity of visual motifs from a very basic pencilled line that is very impressive to painting and highly skilled photo collages show a visual versatility that is formidable by itself. I was surprised at the skill of his writing, At first reading, I thought Cages was merely a self referential book on the nature of creativity.But further readings show that the novel also discusses the nature of God, sex and human relationships and the way in which any or all aspects of human existence can tun into a cage if one does not have balance and perspective. The jazz musician poet is the character who comes closest to having this and is the most admirable character in the novel; he is able to live outside of the cage most of the time. This graphic novel meets the definition of art in that second and even seventh readings or viewings add to the experience while well done entertainment has little to say beyond a first or maybe second reading, All serous comics lovers should read Cages and preferably more than once.NBM took over the publishing fromthe defunct former publisher so it should be easier to find or get by way of special order.
Rating:
Summary: Read this MANY MANY TIMES
Review: Cages is one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. I Must have read this book 17 times when i first took it out of my library, and i recommend it to anyone who wants to see something that is rarely seen in this world: something that stands out so much because you do not comprehend it.I still don't understand Cages, but I'm going to keep trying.
Rating:
Summary: A comics masterpiece
Review: Comic books have come a long way since the inception ofSuperman. And, believe it or not, Archie and Jughead are no longerconsidered "cutting edge." Comics have blossomed. Why, there are even murmurs that, at it's best, it might even be considered a valid medium. Stranger still, there are those who will swear that it can be comparable to high art. For the incredulous, I offer Dave McKean's extraordinary comics opus, Cages. While winning a truckload of awards for his illustration work, he was quietly creating what can only be called a comics masterpiece. At the risk of sounding like Bertrand Russell, Cages tugs at the fabric behind reality, never wholly taking leave of what it is to be human. What's so admirable about this is that McKean does so with a light touch. Peppered with a dry humor that will make you laugh 'till you cry, and mixed with equal parts mystery, philosophy, art, love (not the drippy storybook stuff...the real thing), absurdity, pain, and magic, Cages takes comics waaaaaay beyond Jughead. The art, like the writing is exceptional. Most is done in plain, raw (dare I say "immediate?") ink drawings with a subtle touch of blue-gray for color. Simple? yes. But EXTREMELY emotive. And watch out...when he does dive into glorious four-color, his truckload of awards suddenly makes a lot of sense. This is clearly the work of a man who grasps the medium in which he works; the art and story work in perfect synergy. Cages is the story of a young artist in the same way that Citizen Kane is the story of some rich guy. Masterpieces can never be summed up in a word. Find out for yourself what it's all about. Find out for yourself where comics can take you. Make no mistake. This is art.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling... And yes, mesmerizing!
Review: Dave McKean gotta be one of the most original artists of this decade & Cages is (some of) the evidence. Apart from being a brilliant comic book artist, with a style that is TRULY his own, he proves in Cages that his creative talents go even beyond that : Beautiful photos, amazing paintings... You really gotta see it yrself. I recommend this graphic novel to EVERYBODY, & I especially recommend it to (the very narrowminded) people who doesn't believe that comics/graphic stories can reach the same hights as books, films & other artforms. Cages is just one of the masterpieces proving them wrong. The story is brilliant too. It proves that McKean is as good a writer as an artist/illustrator, even though he mainly IS an artist. (not that a writer CAN'T be an artist... I mean... eh) The story is quite complex too, so I won't go into details. I can't recommend Cages enough - ................- It's worth every penny!......
Rating:
Summary: One of the best I've read ever and I mean it
Review: Dave McKean, most commonly associated with Neil Gaiman of Sandman fame as an illustrator, also writes, and writes very well. I have never understood why this work was so collectively ignored by Gaiman fans, except that maybe it is so hard to find. I assure you, it is WELL worth the search. McKean's writing is easily comparable to Gaiman's. He has the same ability to lead you into a world that is darkly ascewed and make it absorbing, believable and passionate. Anyone who enjoys Cronemburg, Burroughs, or Lynch would be well served to seek out Cages. And don't let the art style throw you; it grows on you.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Most Rewarding Books Ever Written
Review: My first experiences with Dave McKean were as illustrator for the Sandman comic books, and the Vertigo tarot cards, eventually leading to my strongest appreciation for a contemporary artist. Imagine my surprise when I came across of a copy of Cages, complete with traditional McKean artwork, on my comic-shop shelf. I wasn't even aware McKean wrote graphic novels, let alone one of such size (it's 500 pages long). I knew from the minute I saw it that I had to buy it, and after saving my pennies and dimes, I finally got the chance. Not a moment of the time spent earning the money to buy this book was wasted. In a style that fluctuates somewhat based upon the character being portrayed (although most of the story is told from the artist, Leo's, point of view), Cages tells a tale of three creative people together in an apartment building, set in some parallel-dimension London, or a similar city. Leo, the artist of paints, canvas, and sketches, moves in and meets John, a novelist, writer, and critic whose work Cages earned him the ire of a public that misunderstood his point. John must also contend with a pair of goons intent on making his life miserable, which Leo gets a chance to experience firsthand when he tries to save a young girl from their harassment. The third is Angel, a blues and jazz musician at a local bar, whose poetry-slam style lyrics and dangerously emotional playing style set him apart from the other musicians, both as an artist and a pariah. Rounding it off is a mysterious woman who poses as Leo's model, a landlord on the verge of insanity, a woman with a foul-mouthed cockatoo, and a naked homeless man who fell out of the sky five years ago and has been delirious ever since. Round that off with a black cat who serves as a kind of Puck figure for God Himself, and McKean has laid the groundwork for a one-of-a-kind comic novel. The story fluctuates from that which is grounded in reality (although that reality is certainly questionable) to a dreamlike semiconsciousness where poetry, advertising, and McKean's signature artistic style merge to create points of meditation for the story at large. The drawings are almost entirely black-on-white, although the book has shades of blue running through it, and some of McKean's more intricate works are in color. The story is introduced by a series of poems about God and artistic creation, and comes together as a cohesive whole if taken as more than the sum of its parts. That being said, Cages is not for everyone. It is not a comic book. Its plot is small, and serves more as a vehicle to attempt to understand the process behind creativity and the reactions of people around the artists to that creative struggle. Cages requires a substantial investment in time to read, contemplate, read again, meditate, go back and read some more, appreciate, and so forth. For anyone up to that kind of challenge, or anyone who likes McKean's art, or anyone who is looking for a different take on the artistic process and how it is viewed by people outside of the artist, Cages is one of the most rewarding books available. My only complaint (and it has nothing to do with the content) is that the black ink easily picks up fingerprints, so if you aren't careful, you could leave smudges everywhere. It's too nice a book to ruin. Final Grade: A; ALMOST an A+
Rating:
Summary: One of the Most Rewarding Books Ever Written
Review: My first experiences with Dave McKean were as illustrator for the Sandman comic books, and the Vertigo tarot cards, eventually leading to my strongest appreciation for a contemporary artist. Imagine my surprise when I came across of a copy of Cages, complete with traditional McKean artwork, on my comic-shop shelf. I wasn't even aware McKean wrote graphic novels, let alone one of such size (it's 500 pages long). I knew from the minute I saw it that I had to buy it, and after saving my pennies and dimes, I finally got the chance. Not a moment of the time spent earning the money to buy this book was wasted. In a style that fluctuates somewhat based upon the character being portrayed (although most of the story is told from the artist, Leo's, point of view), Cages tells a tale of three creative people together in an apartment building, set in some parallel-dimension London, or a similar city. Leo, the artist of paints, canvas, and sketches, moves in and meets John, a novelist, writer, and critic whose work Cages earned him the ire of a public that misunderstood his point. John must also contend with a pair of goons intent on making his life miserable, which Leo gets a chance to experience firsthand when he tries to save a young girl from their harassment. The third is Angel, a blues and jazz musician at a local bar, whose poetry-slam style lyrics and dangerously emotional playing style set him apart from the other musicians, both as an artist and a pariah. Rounding it off is a mysterious woman who poses as Leo's model, a landlord on the verge of insanity, a woman with a foul-mouthed cockatoo, and a naked homeless man who fell out of the sky five years ago and has been delirious ever since. Round that off with a black cat who serves as a kind of Puck figure for God Himself, and McKean has laid the groundwork for a one-of-a-kind comic novel. The story fluctuates from that which is grounded in reality (although that reality is certainly questionable) to a dreamlike semiconsciousness where poetry, advertising, and McKean's signature artistic style merge to create points of meditation for the story at large. The drawings are almost entirely black-on-white, although the book has shades of blue running through it, and some of McKean's more intricate works are in color. The story is introduced by a series of poems about God and artistic creation, and comes together as a cohesive whole if taken as more than the sum of its parts. That being said, Cages is not for everyone. It is not a comic book. Its plot is small, and serves more as a vehicle to attempt to understand the process behind creativity and the reactions of people around the artists to that creative struggle. Cages requires a substantial investment in time to read, contemplate, read again, meditate, go back and read some more, appreciate, and so forth. For anyone up to that kind of challenge, or anyone who likes McKean's art, or anyone who is looking for a different take on the artistic process and how it is viewed by people outside of the artist, Cages is one of the most rewarding books available. My only complaint (and it has nothing to do with the content) is that the black ink easily picks up fingerprints, so if you aren't careful, you could leave smudges everywhere. It's too nice a book to ruin. Final Grade: A; ALMOST an A+
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent visual but the dialog usually drags
Review: The plot concerns a painter, a writer and a musician living together in the same apartment building. This conveniently allows the book to be punctuated by conversations concerning the nature of art and less interesting subjects. When no one was talking the story was much more interesting. Meanwhile the painter meets the girl next door and gets moderately involved in the lives of his neighbors. Cages is a bit unusual for a comic book because of its long long length and its ambiguous subject matter.
The philosophical fluff which occurs when characters are talking does add up to something, but getting there was not worth slogging through a comic that picked up around page 150. If you have seen the movie Waking Life then think of Cages as in the same category: talking talking talking and good graphics. The more I think about it: Yes think of Cages as a comic book along the lines of Waking Life. In Cages there is analyzable stuff and plot going on in the "artsy" sections, but they didn't hold my interest so I barely care. This book is still a good buy at 500 pages, but it would have been twice as good if a good editor had trimmed it to half the length. The plots to each, slow or boring depending on the viewer, refocus emphasis on the graphics.
The art style in Cages is good. Most of the book consists of three color contour drawings similar to what you can see by using Amazon's Look Inside feature. The style is intentionally varied in shorter sections, so you can see paintings and photographs by McKean. (McKean did the covers for the Sandman series, so that should give you a feel for his graphic style.) It seems like there would be more photography mixed into comic books. This is the first time I have seen this done well and is worth checking out.
Cages is a good buy for the length and graphics, but only if you like it. If you are familiar with Dave McKean and like his art then go for it. Don't buy it for the "deep plot" Yes it is there, but it wasn't enough to keep me interested. This comic book is more appropriate for public and university libraries, especially those with a good art collection or an established comics collection.
Rating:
Summary: "That's a nice thought." "It isn't mine."
Review: There are really no words I can write to do this one justice. It's one of the single most moving experiences I've ever had reading anything, never mind comic books. McKean's line art is breathtaking, and the painted interludes and photo montages are every bit as fascinating, disturbing, and touching as anything he's done with Neil Gaiman or Grant Morrison. The story is about a tenement and its various occupants, but it's also about inspiration and love, and the things that drive us to create. Go read it.
Rating:
Summary: "That's a nice thought." "It isn't mine."
Review: There are really no words I can write to do this one justice. It's one of the single most moving experiences I've ever had reading anything, never mind comic books. McKean's line art is breathtaking, and the painted interludes and photo montages are every bit as fascinating, disturbing, and touching as anything he's done with Neil Gaiman or Grant Morrison. The story is about a tenement and its various occupants, but it's also about inspiration and love, and the things that drive us to create. Go read it.
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